


Lost and Found

by CleverSnail



Category: The LEGO Movie (2014)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Grittyfluff, M/M, Scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-10
Updated: 2014-07-10
Packaged: 2018-02-08 08:09:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1933401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CleverSnail/pseuds/CleverSnail
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bad Cop tries his hand at being a friendly, neighborhood police officer.</p>
<p>Written for the wonderful pharaoh-ink (tumblr)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost and Found

Benny’s crouched down in the cereal aisle, surrounded by a swarm of children. Bad Cop counts five of them, but they’re buzzing around him so briskly they look more like ten. Twenty. Bad Cop stands apart, holding the grocery basket, feeling mildly awkward. He knows none of the children, none of the parents hovering around them. But the parents clearly know _him_ , and they’re keeping an eye out, even as their children attach themselves to Benny. Bad Cop’s used to this, but it’s still awkward.

He’s come to learn how impossible it is for children to resist Benny when he’s wearing his blue flight suit. They wriggle out of thin air to touch his leg, to stand shyly beside him and just _look_ at him. But he always gets down to their level, smiles, talks to them. _Always_. And that’s Benny. Bad Cop watches him with the gaggle of kids. He’s pointing at each of the insigniae on his flight suit, explaining what they mean. The kids are rapt, crowded so close that one small boy trips on his own sneaker and falls into Benny’s side. Benny checks on him, sees that he isn’t hurt, but the boy doesn’t move away. He stays pressed to Benny like a little snail on a stone.

Bad Cop can’t hear what Benny’s saying, but the hand motions have begun, and he knows those by heart. He’s seen them so many times with so many sets of children. Benny’s clearly talking about the feeling of sitting strapped in a capsule atop a Delta IV as it blasts off into the sky: his right hand is the rocket and he mimes a beautiful liftoff straight up into the air above the kids’ heads. Benny’s eyes are shining.

There’s a sudden sharp tug on Bad Cop’s grocery basket.

He looks down, perplexed. A tiny girl is staring up at him. They look at each other for a moment, both unsure of how to proceed. Bad Cop glances at Ben, but he’s got his hands full. Bad Cop’s on his own.

“Can…I help you?” he asks the child. His voice sounds too loud, he realizes, but she’s a brave little thing and doesn’t flinch.

“Are you a policeman?” she wants to know.

Bad Cop can feel several sets of parental eyes boring into him. He ignores them.

“Yes.”

“My mummy said if I get lost I should find a policeman.” The little girl looks around her briefly and shrugs. “I’m lost,” she confirms.

Bad Cop sets down his basket, crouches beside the girl. She’s at eye level now, unexpectedly close. He watches her eyes register his scars, but there’s no fear there, no disgust. Curiosity, nothing more.

“I can help you,” Bad Cop hears himself say. “What’s your name?”

“Emily.”

“Alright Emily, let’s sort this out.” Bad Cop starts to problem solve, begins to formulate a plan. He’s good at this part. “Do you know your last name?”

“Miller.”

Bad Cop smiles. She’s quick and he likes that.

Then he notices she’s staring hard at his mouth, and he’s suddenly self-conscious of his jack o’lantern smile. He draws his lips back together. But then _she’s_ pulling down _her_ lower lip as far as she can.

“I lost a tooth too, see?” she says. And sure enough, when he looks, there’s a tiny space that would have accommodated an equally tiny tooth. “I fell and it got knocked out.”

She grins at him eagerly even as she tugs on her lip. He can’t help but return the smile.

“Aren’t we unique, you and I?” he says, and she nods vigorously.

Bad Cop stands and leaves the grocery basket.

“Let’s find someone who can help us, Emily.”

She’s tiny. He towers over her. But she’s unafraid, and reaches out to take hold of his left index finger. Her entire hand encircles it. And she’s got a grip like a little monkey. Bad Cop leads her to the manager’s stand, where a nervous department manager makes a querulous plea over the PA for Ms. Miller to come to the front of the store _as soon as possible_.

“Now we’ll wait for your mam together,” explains Bad Cop.

He stands at attention while Emily swings his arm and sings a song. The song is vaguely familiar to him. He knew it long ago, but can’t quite recall how it goes. It’s about a farmer with loads of loud animals, and Emily makes the accompanying barnyard noises with gusto. Bad Cop’s really beginning to enjoy Emily’s performance when Mother arrives.

She charges up to them, pale as milk and clearly terrified, though it’s hard to tell whether she’s more frightened by her daughter’s disappearance or by her daughter’s rescuer. Emily swings away from Bad Cop and into her mother’s arms. She’s laughing and singing still.

“Hi Mummy!” she crows.

Ms. Miller’s eyes haven’t left Bad Cop’s face. “Thank you sir,” she mumbles, and begins to tug Emily away. But to Bad Cop’s surprise, Emily fights off her mother and runs back to _him_.

She latches onto his leg and hugs him tight. He sets a hand on her back reflexively, moving her away from the sidearm on his belt.

“Thank you,” she says into his leg. Then she looks up into his eyes. “You’re my favorite policeman.”

“Thank you,” Bad Cop replies. “You’re my favorite lost Emily.”

And then like a flash she’s gone, headed off with her mother, skipping merrily to the store exit. Bad Cop watches her go. He feels strangely accomplished. It’s a good feeling.

Benny strides over, swinging the grocery basket. He’s grinning from ear to ear.

“Nice work, you old softie.” He nudges Bad Cop affectionately, shoulder to shoulder.

Bad Cop takes the basket from Ben, stands a little taller.

“Just doing my job,” he says.


End file.
